When I first came to Christ, almost four years ago, I firmly believed witchcraft was a part of my past. I had not, to my knowledge, practiced any witchcraft in years. I was no longer in rebellion to God, but full submission. From what I understood about witchcraft, it was being at the altar, chanting spells or performing rituals. It was an act of worship to the gods and goddesses, that required specific items, words, movements, etc. What I did not understand was that is only a small part of what witchcraft actually is.
It took me two years of being a Christian to come to the reality that I was indeed still doing witchcraft. I absolutely had no idea. How can a person do witchcraft and not even know? How is that even possible? It is possible because we remain ignorant about the truth of what witchcraft is. The devil would have us believe that witchcraft belongs in fairy tales and movies, or among people who have never entered our own realities. However, that is exactly why we are so ignorant of the truth.
Witchcraft is many things, but primarily it is very simply, rebellion against God. This means that absolutely anybody can do witchcraft. It is merely a choice, an act of free will, that has nothing to do with being a witch, altars, or rituals. When I first realized this bit of information, it completely rocked my world. Not in a good way. Honestly, it scared the living daylights out of me. I had thought I was doing good as a Christian. The truth is, I was doing really well! I had been on a journey to give my whole self to God. And I was doing just that. If I had not been, I would never have been able to face the truth, that I was, in fact, doing witchcraft.
“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
He also has rejected you from being king.”
1 Samuel 15:23
For me, witchcraft was something I was taught at a very young age. So it came very naturally to me. This is the case for many people as well. When you are raised in an environment where witchcraft is already practiced and encouraged, it becomes a part of who you are, without you realizing it’s ever there. In my case, my family was actively in the occult. Witchcraft was like breathing to me. However, I had no idea that my family taught me to do witchcraft, and neither do many others like me.
Witchcraft is very encouraged in our world today. With the popularity of things such as yoga, witchcraft in TV and movies, and many New Age practices becoming mainstream, we are surrounded by witchcraft and it has become normal to us. We don’t even blink an eye when we see the popularity of zombies and Lucifer on TV. There so few kids shows that don’t have magic in it, it astounds me. We hand feed witchcraft to our kids as if it were as harmless as a snowflake.
The reason we cannot see this witchcraft all around us is that we have already made agreements with it in our lives and in our hearts. Yet we refuse to see this as truth because we believe the truth is so ugly, so scary, that if we look at it, we will surely die. That is exactly what the devil would have us believe. The truth is, if we look at the truth that lies in our hearts, the truth that we have placed ourselves on the throne instead of God, then we would actually be set free.
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
John 8:32
We are being held captive by these lies. Satan has spun a tale that witchcraft is evil, and if we are doing it, we are too evil. And if we are evil, then we can have nothing to do with God. So we hide the blackness of our souls as deep as we can so that no one can see them. Not even us. The problem with that is it is still there. The fact that it is hidden only causes us to live out a life of lies. We tell ourselves that God is on the throne of our hearts when really, we never even opened up the door to Him.
I have learned some amazing truths about God by opening my heart to Him and allowing Him into these hidden places inside. I have learned that no matter what I have done, no matter how evil I believed I was, God does not hate me. God does not look down on me. I am not evil at all. I am good. All of the witchcraft that I was participating in was out of pain, denial, ignorance, self-hate. It was not because I willfully wanted to rebel against God. I only chose to rebel against God because I believed I had too. I did not see a better alternative.
That is why most people chose to do witchcraft. Not because they are evil or bad. God loves every one of us. No matter what. There is nothing one person can do that can separate them from the love of God. It is not possible. What we can do instead, is stop hiding. I have had to renounce being my own God many times. At first, I admit, I was completely ashamed. How could I have built up high places to worship myself and not even realize I was doing it? How could I be so terrible, when I loved my God so very much?
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
1 Corinthians 10:13
Yet time and time again, my Father; my loving, wonderful, merciful, glorious Father, told me, ‘You are not evil. You are forgiven.” If you only repent for your rebellion, you will see how very easily God will forgive you. Just like the prodigal son that ran off with his inheritance, and meant to turn his back on his father once and for all. Yet when he finally realized how terribly he behaved, his father not only forgave him but threw a celebration in honor of his return. That is the kind of Father that you and I have.
How can you know if you have been doing witchcraft? There are a few signs of things you can look for, but ultimately it is going to take bringing all of your heart to God and asking Him to reveal the secret things of your heart to you so that He can bring them healing. It is not up to another person to handle such a delicate matter of the heart, but it’s a matter of developing that trust and loving relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ needs to be our everything. We were made for Him and through Him. So without Him, we are absolutely floundering. We are lost and depraved to the uttermost with Jesus. We just need to take it one step at a time. Even if it takes baby steps. There is no more patience in this world than the patience that God has for His children.
If you have been living a life on a roller coaster, always letting your emotions dictate you, then chances are you are doing witchcraft. Witchcraft is based on using our emotions and will to manipulate change around us. It affects other people, as well as circumstances. All it takes is the intentions of the heart to make send witchcraft out into the world.
If we have ever been involved in the occult, new age, religions that worship false gods and goddesses, or any sort of witchcraft whatsoever, then the chances are you are still doing witchcraft. If you have any parents, grandparents, or other family members, past or present, that have been involved in the occult, then the chances are we are doing witchcraft. Witchcraft is handed down generationally, through blood rights, as well as being taught directly to children.
As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me! For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me.
Psalm 40:11-12
Witchcraft is rebellion. It is going against everything that God asks of us. It is allowing our emotions, desires, and will to dictate who we are and what we do. It hurts ourselves and those around us, affecting every generation after us. When we think evil thoughts about other people or say terrible things to people, that is witchcraft. When we manipulate or control people, directly or indirectly, that is witchcraft. Witchcraft is an agreement with the devil to do his will instead of God’s.
Witchcraft originated in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve rebelled against God. They turned their backs on God because they wanted to shoot for autonomy from Him. They thought, if they could only know good and evil, they could indeed be like God. They learned that by listening to Satan and partnering with him at that moment. That is what mankind has been doing for thousands of years. If we refuse to see the truth, we cannot be set free.
God is waiting to set you free from the bondage of your rebellion. You have to first make a choice. Do you want to put down that forbidden fruit and step down of God’s throne? Or do you want to put the blinders up and pretend that you can keep managing your life on your own? I know how hard it is. I have had to face these same fires. And oh how the fire burns. The fire also refines us and leaves us renewed and ready to be molded into the most beautiful creation: the image of Jesus Christ.
God is inviting you today, to step away from the Tree and come into His presence instead. He is full of grace and mercy. He does not see your sin, nor does He think you are evil. He only sees you with the love of such infinite measure that we can barely even fathom to think of it. You are a Son/Daughter of the Most High. You need do nothing to earn it. It simply is. Let Jesus wash you in the river of Living Waters and nurture you on His Bread of Life, and see the majestic fruit that will grow from it.
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39
